Folliculitis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Table Of Content

• Causes and Risk Factors
• Health
• Other Conditions Similar to Scalp Folliculitis
• Diagnosis of folliculitis
• What can you do to prevent blocked hair follicles?

Inflammation due to ingrown hairs can cause folliculitis, as can medications like lithium and cyclosporine. If you have a persistent rash or bumps that don’t go away after a few days, it’s important to see a doctor. Depending on the type of folliculitis you have, your doctor may recommend a treatment plan to help alleviate symptoms.

Causes and Risk Factors

These growths are typically slow-growing and can vary in size but are usually painless and harmless. There are several reasons why you might be losing your hair. According to Agbai, genetics, hormonal shifts, stress, underlying medical conditions, nutritional deficiencies, and scalp inflammation are notable factors. Folliculitis is inflammation or infection of hair follicles. When you pop a pimple, you might inadvertently push bacteria and debris deeper into your pores, worsening acne.

Health

Some people seem to have an unusual reaction to Staphylococcus aureus (Staph A). This bacterium is naturally found on your skin and inside your nose. Eosinophilic folliculitis may become a chronic, but mild condition.

Other Conditions Similar to Scalp Folliculitis

Leaving a lump in the groin untreated when it doesn't resolve on its own can pose several risks. Seeking medical attention for persistent lumps in the groin is crucial to determine the cause and receive appropriate treatment. An abscess is a localized collection of pus caused by an infection. An abscess in the groin can develop due to an infection in a hair follicle, sweat gland, or other skin structures in the groin area. The infection leads to inflammation and the accumulation of pus, forming a swollen and often painful lump in the groin.

In certain, severe or persistent cases, an appointment with a dermatologist is recommended. Regular swimming pools and water slides can also bring on the infection. Once your condition has cleared up, be sure to practice proper scalp hygiene.

Diagnosis of folliculitis

See your healthcare provider to help determine the cause of the lump and determine a proper treatment plan if needed. These symptoms can vary depending on the underlying cause of the lump, such as hernias, swollen lymph nodes, or other conditions. It's important to consult a healthcare provider for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Blocked hair follicles range in severity from mild to severe. They start out looking like small and irritated red pimples.

Hot tub folliculitis (pseudomonas folliculitis)

They may examine the skin, note symptoms, and review the person’s medical and family history. They may also ask questions related to recent nonmedical activity, such as hot tub usage or recent changes to new clothing. In the initial stages, folliculitis may look like a rash, a patch of small bumps, or yellow- or white-tipped pimples. Folliculitis patches may appear red or pink on light skin tones. On darker skin tones, it may appear darker than the surrounding skin and may contain red, or purple hues.

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Folliculitis is a common skin condition that’s often caused by an infected or inflamed hair follicle. It can look similar to acne and be uncomfortable or itchy. Folliculitis often has a psychosocial impact because of its appearance. There are many different types of folliculitis — each one unique based on the cause, the infectious organism and its impact on the skin.

Folliculitis decalvans causes bald patches and red, crusty pustules to form on the scalp. Experts aren’t sure why some people develop this condition, although Staph A bacteria may play a role. Antibiotics, steroids and other treatments can help ease inflammation and prevent more hair loss. The hair loss is permanent, but certain hair loss treatments may help. Talk to your provider if you become self-conscious about your appearance. Scalp folliculitis begins with small, inflamed bumps that appear along the hairline.

You'll probably need several treatments over a period of time. The most common form of folliculitis, it causes itchy, white bumps filled with pus. You can get it if you cut yourself and bacteria (usually staph) gets in. Most of the time, folliculitis isn’t spread from person to person. If your folliculitis is caused by a germ that lives naturally in water or soil, it could infect other people, too.

If an infection is present, squeezing the bump may worsen it. Infected ingrown hairs can be uncomfortable, but most clear up on their own in 7–10 days with good hygiene. Not all ingrown hairs become infected, and they usually resolve on their own in a few days. Keep reading to learn how to recognize an infected ingrown hair, as well as tips for treating and preventing them. Folliculitis due to ingrown hairs usually improves when a person stops shaving for up to 1 week.

Folliculitis means inflammation of the hair follicles of the skin. Most of the skin is covered with tiny hairs which grow out of hair follicles. In folliculitis, many hair follicles in one area of the skin are affected. If a person has an underlying health condition that weakens their immune system, they may be at a higher risk of scalp folliculitis. They may wish to speak to a doctor, who can help manage their condition and prevent scalp folliculitis.

Those with molluscum infections can be treated with cryotherapy. This solution dissolves any non-fungal cells, revealing fungi. However, it seems to be commonly caused by an infection due to bacteria, viruses, parasites (like the Demodex mite), or fungi. Folliculitis typically resolves on its own and can be treated with topical medications.

Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. Folliculitis is a skin disorder involving the inflammation of hair follicles. It is typically due to an infection of the hair follicle and results in irritated pimple-like spots or pustules.

Folliculitis: Appearance, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Table Of Content

• Managing Recurring Scalp Folliculitis After Remission
• Causes of folliculitis
• Things To Know about Vitamin C and Skin
• Treatment
• Healthy living
• Treatment and Other Options for Permanent Scalp Changes
• Folliculitis Decalvans

Follicles are small tube-like cavities in the epidermis in which individual hairs grow. They are present on all parts of the skin except the lips, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet. Certain types of folliculitis are known as hot tub rash and barber's itch. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it’s completely normal to shed anywhere between 50 to 100 strands of hair per day. However, if you’ve noticed more strands falling out of your head than normal, you may be experiencing alopecia, the medical term for hair loss. Common diagnoses include androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, and lymphocytic scarring alopecia, Agbai tells USA TODAY.

Managing Recurring Scalp Folliculitis After Remission

Aureus lives on the skin and inside the nose, but it does not always cause an infection. However, an infection can develop on the scalp, or other parts of the body, if too much S. It's normal for someone to be concerned about their appearance if there are changes to the skin on their scalp or if there is hair loss. A head cover like a hat, scarf, or wig can cover the scalp while the hair grows back.

Causes of folliculitis

Small bumps, sometimes full of pus, can show up on your legs, especially your thighs. Your doctor may be able to diagnose folliculitis based on appearance alone. To identify the cause, they may remove or take a small sample of one of the bumps for testing. If you aren’t noticing any improvement after a few days, or things seem to be getting worse, make an appointment to see a doctor.

Things To Know about Vitamin C and Skin

If your immune system is weakened, you could see another type of folliculitis on your chest and neck, as well as your arms. Babies often get folliculitis on their chest and back, too. Sometimes a healthcare professional will drain a boil or carbuncle by making a small incision in the lesion to drain the pus.

A carbuncle is a cluster of boils painful, pus-filled bumps that form a connected area of infection under the skin. A lipoma is a non-cancerous) growth of fat cells that form a soft, movable lump under the skin. It develops when fat cells grow abnormally and clump together to form a lump beneath the skin.

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It’s important to seek medical help if you get a rash, pimples, or boils that don’t resolve, or that reoccur. Early or ongoing treatment can help prevent complications. In this article, we explain why blocked hair follicles occur and how you can prevent and treat them. You can also consider alternative hair removal methods such as waxing, depilatories, or laser hair removal. When the hairs grow back, they’re typically finer, with a smooth tip instead of the blunt, rough tip that shaved hairs have, reducing instances of ingrown hairs. Folliculitis needs only symptomatic treatment in most cases, since the inflammation often clears up in a week or 10 days without any specific treatment.

A skin culture test may also be done to determine if the folliculitis is caused by a bacterial, fungal, or viral infection. During this test, a sample of the affected skin is obtained and sent to a laboratory for analysis. Chemical folliculitis can occur when harsh chemicals come into contact with the skin, leading to irritation and inflammation of the hair follicle. This can include chemicals found in hair dyes, lotions, and perfumes.

Treatment and Other Options for Permanent Scalp Changes

This is a test where a small sample of your skin is removed and then taken to a lab where it’s studied. It may look like acne or a rash and can be isolated to one hair follicle or affect many. It can be acute (occurring for a short time) or chronic (ongoing). Folliculitis is an inflammation or infection that can affect one or more hair follicles. Your hair follicles are the small cavities that surround the roots of your hair. Folliculitis is caused by damage to your hair follicles, which leaves them vulnerable to infection-causing bacteria and fungi.

Folliculitis Decalvans

It’s especially important to practice good vaginal hygiene during your period. Not only do hormonal shifts cause the skin to be more sensitive, but there’s also a higher population of bacteria that can infect hair follicles and chafed skin. Mild cases can be effectively treated with topical antibiotic lotions and creams. Never pick or pop an infected ingrown hair, as this also increases the risk of complications. A doctor may prescribe oral steroids, antibiotics, or other medications if the infection has a risk of becoming severe or spreading to the blood and internal organs.

Don’t dig for the hair, as this increases the risk of causing or spreading an infection. If simple measures over a few days do not allow the folliculitis to improve, you should probably see your GP for further advice and treatment. If there is an infection which is spreading deeper or onto surrounding skin you should see your GP. The affected skin can feel painful, hot and may be itchy. No, you can’t catch folliculitis decalvans from someone else.

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If you get a rash after sitting in a hot tub, other people who sat in the tub are also likely to get it. Folliculitis is usually diagnosed during a physical exam with your healthcare provider. This can be done during an appointment and in most cases, you do not need to see a skincare specialist. Your primary care physician is usually able to diagnose folliculitis and provide a treatment plan.

There are 30 different types of Staphylococcus bacteria, but S. Overall, folliculitis is a common condition that can be bothersome and uncomfortable. While it’s generally not a serious medical issue, it’s important to seek treatment if the condition persists or shows signs of worsening. By understanding the causes, symptoms, and treatments for folliculitis, individuals can take proactive steps to manage their condition and avoid future recurrences.

The initially infected follicle may occur as a result of an ingrown hair, caused by a follicle blocked by sweat and dead skin cells. Genital folliculitis is more common in areas of the body where hair is rough and often shaved, including the vaginal region. There, the hair is coarser, the skin is more sensitive, and the risk of bacterial infection from razors or other hair removal products is higher. It may sound fancy, but folliculitis is pretty common and mostly harmless. Folliculitis is what happens when hair follicles become inflamed, usually as a result of a bacterial or fungal infection.

Washing with warm water and antibacterial soap is often enough to clean and help heal the area. You can also try a saltwater solution, or vinegar mixed with water. If none of these things does the trick, your doctor can prescribe an antibiotic you apply to your skin. See your doctor if it doesn't clear up within a couple of weeks, or if your symptoms are serious.. Most of the time, folliculitis clears up without any issues. Or you could notice that the skin in the affected area is lighter or darker than your usual skin tone.

At first it may look like small pimples around the tiny pockets from where each hair grows (hair follicles). Dirty hot tubs and spas can also cause folliculitis, as bacteria thrive in inadequately chlorinated warm water. Make sure to clean in between your legs and around your vagina thoroughly after sex and after using a hot tub to reduce your chances of infected hair follicles. You may also experience higher occurrences of vulvar folliculitis during your period due to the shifts in hormone levels. In most cases, the main symptom of folliculitis is red bumps that look like pimples on your skin. These could also look like they’re white-filled bumps or they could be filled with pus (pustules).

A non-infective type of folliculitis occurs because of regrowth of hairs after hair removal, by plucking, electrolysis or shaving. Scalp infections are caused by bacteria or fungi that enter the hair follicles or skin of the scalp. Having a scalp infection can lead to various types of skin rashes on the scalp as well as hair loss. When hair follicles become infected or inflamed they swell causing a red bump on the skin. Sometimes the affected follicles fill with pus, covering the affected skin with small, rounded, yellow-red spots (pustules). Affected skin may develop a crust, which can be yellow or golden coloured due to infection.

How to repair bleached hair: Your guide to fixing dry damaged hair

Table Of Content

• Effective Shampoos for Straight Hair that Add Body and Shine
• How to Bleach Your Hair At Home
• Hair Revive Elixir by Earth Harbor Naturals
• Dry scalp 101: What you need to know about this condition and how to treat it
• What’s the Difference Between Bleach Damaged Hair & Heat Damaged Hair?
• Give Hair Time To Rest
• Stunning Chestnut Brown Hair Inspo For All Hair Types

Follow label directions carefully, and look for products that advertise moisturizing and keratin-building effects. Another easy swap you can make is to replace your regular cotton bath towel with a Bamboo Hair Towel Wrap. Bamboo is softer and smoother than cotton, which means it won’t pull at your hair and lead to breakage and frizz.

Effective Shampoos for Straight Hair that Add Body and Shine

Whether it’s bleached or not, one simple investment you can make for your mane is to get a silk pillowcase. Satin is another way to go, but silk is the premium, as it’s the gentlest choice that will reduce hair breakage to a minimum. If you can, you should stay away from the pool if you have bleached hair.

How to Bleach Your Hair At Home

However, if you ignore all the warning signs and allow the worst to happen, you may have to grow new, undamaged hair in the future. Once you notice these signs, you’ll need to start taking proactive measures to make sure your hair doesn’t undergo total damage. When this happens, you start to experience bleach-induced hair damage.

Hair Revive Elixir by Earth Harbor Naturals

Grapeseed oil offers all the hydrating benefits of its other thicker, more viscous counterparts, but has the luxury of being incredibly lightweight as well. Love Beauty and Planet Sandalwood & Grapeseed Natural Oils Infusion is a great frizz fighter and finishing product for those prone to getting an oily scalp more quickly. However, bleach could theoretically cause your hair to do a litany of strange things like become straighter, get curlier or frizzier, or just become incredibly brittle. The wide-swath of potential texture outcomes shouldn’t really come as a surprise, though. There are two types of melanin in hair, but both are useful in making up the color composition of the hair.

Remember to apply a heat-protecting product each time you reach for a hot tool if you just can’t help yourself from using your flat iron. But what happens when you bleach it during the summer, and you desperately want to take a dip in your pool? You’ll also learn about the most common mistakes many people make that lead to damage after bleaching.

Cap off your wash with a spritz of cool water to seal in moisture. Using oils, hair masks, and certain conditioners may help hydrate your hair after bleaching. You may also want to avoid heat, which can dry hair out further. As we mentioned before, heat tools can cause significant damage, even to virgin hair. So if you have bleach damaged hair, you can imagine how much worse the damage will be! Trust us, adding heat damaged to the mix is not something you want to do.

Yes, coconut oil is an excellent and inexpensive product that can rehydrate your bleached hair. You can apply it as a hair mask once a week or every two weeks. Split ends happen even to hair that hasn’t been color-treated; however, they are even more pronounced in bleached hair. When exposed to bleach, your hair can become brittle, lose its natural moisture, and end up with split ends. This might not happen after the first bleaching sessions, but if you practice it frequently, damaged ends are a sign you should give it a rest.

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People experiencing female pattern baldness may also notice a general thinning of hair on the top of your head, but hair loss typically won’t occur on the front of your scalp, per Harvard Health. Baldness is often hereditary, and is activated by a shift in your hormones. If you’ve noticed an excessive amount of hair shedding, a receding hairline, or that the hair on the crown of your head becoming increasingly sparse, you’re probably experiencing a form of hair loss. Losing your hair can be a distressing experience, but you’re not alone. "When you don't want the hair to lift as much, bleaching [your hair while it is damp] can help you make a subtle [color] change to your hair," according to Anderson. However, it is still important to get regular hair trims to remove split ends.

"You also need to look out for hair that feels mushy or redox." Redox is a term that hairstylists use to identify how the hair feels. So the more redox your hair is, the more mushy and stringy it feels. Hair damage from bleach is not uncommon, and there are natural remedies you can try to restore the strength and flexibility of your hair strands. The real cure might be a little patience, as it may take some time for your hair to start to regain its shape. After bleaching, your hair is vulnerable to burning from heat styling and from the sun. Sunblock for your hair also protects your scalp, which may be irritated due to bleach exposure.

And, of course, since bleaching can be harsh on your hair, it's important to adhere to a proper aftercare routine. You'll want to limit heat styling, use shampoos and conditioners for color-treated hair, and invest in deep conditioning treatments. If you’ve dyed your hair platinum blonde in the past or lightened it before trying some other fun colors, you probably used bleach. Bleach can be very effective at lightening our hair by removing the color from the melanin in the hair. It dries the hair out, leads to increased breakage, and can make your hair look very unhealthy. If you’re dealing with these frustrations and looking for solutions for repairing bleached, damaged hair, keep reading!

The way this works is by infusing lightener molecules deeply inside your damaged strands in order to stimulate new growth while repairing any damage they may have caused along the way. Another option would be adding a few drops of olive oil or jojoba oil into your deep conditioner if you need that little something extra. You’ll get a better result and advice on managing the damage thrown in.

Reduce how often you heat style, or minimize the time you spend heat styling by allowing hair to air dry most of the way. Colorists typically use bond-building products during and after the bleaching process to help fortify hair bonds so hair is shiny, healthy, and strong when you walk out of the salon door. Once home, continue care with bond-building products, which further help to restore cuticle health and nourish hair. “At home care after any type of lightening service is critical to keeping the hair healthy," says Tang. Bleach damage looks similar across all hair types, but there are some common telltale signs to look out for. "One of the easiest ways to tell if you have bleach damage is if the color isn't fluid throughout your hair and there's a hot spot of color," Sims says.

In order to help shield your strands from heat damage, make sure a heat protectant is your first port of call – no matter what your styling routine is. Working to minimise the appearance of damage, this formula strengthens each strand of hair, inside and out, to repair & protect bleached tresses. If it’s your first time going through this process, be prepared for the texture of your hair to change.

How to Bleach Your Hair Without Damaging It, According to Stylists

Table Of Content

• Tips
• Dream Cocktail Kale-Infused Leave-in Treatment
• TRESemmé Flawless Curls Hydrating Anti Frizz Oil
• How to Bleach Your Hair at Home
• Step 12: Set a timer and wait
• Start with a shampoo and conditioner duo to fix things from the get go.
• Step 4: Bleach your roots

Bleaching wet hair creates a diffused, soft effect, and the resulting color covers a larger surface area. Whereas, bleaching dry hair allows you to achieve more targeted results. As Anderson explains, "When your hair is dry, your colorist can isolate finer pieces, which is great for highlights, creating contrast, and color corrections." Fortunately, revitalizing heat-damaged curly hair or bleach-damaged hair is possible. You just need to know the right tools, products, and tricks to use.

Tips

If you’re on a quest to repair damaged hair, this step is absolutely essential. Breakage caused by bleach damage can result in split ends, where the hair shaft splits into two or more fragments at the ends. When the cuticle is compromised, the inner layers of the hair are exposed to environmental stressors, causing them to weaken and fray. Split ends are a visible indication of significant damage to the hair structure, often appearing as small, ragged strands at the tips of the hair. Don’t get us wrong, we love a great hair transformation just as much as anyone else.

Dream Cocktail Kale-Infused Leave-in Treatment

“If any bleach remains on your hair, the chemicals may cause scalp burns or other damage,” she warns. I’ve also found a scalp brush like Conair Detangle and Go Shower Massage Brush ($6), to ensure I’ve gotten any grittiness from the bleach out of my hair. In addition to the bleaching kit you're using, grab a hair color brush, a couple of hair clips, and a towel that you don't mind staining to wrap around your shoulders to protect your clothes. You should also have coconut oil to apply around your hairline to protect your skin from any excess bleach, and a wide tooth comb and rattail comb to separate the hair sections. As bleaching is a chemical process, it can damage the structure of the hair fibre. This damage may leave the hair looking and feeling dry and damaged and make it more prone to breakage and split ends.

TRESemmé Flawless Curls Hydrating Anti Frizz Oil

If you decide to go for bleaching, pay careful attention to the products you use, the process itself, and the duration for which you keep the bleach on your hair. Following the best bleaching practices will help you achieve your desired look while doing the least damage to your hair. Dove Hair Therapy Dry Scalp Shampoo and Leave-In are the perfect remedies for a sensitive scalp, adding moisture and a healthy dose of vitamin B3.

How to Bleach Your Hair At Home

In this guide, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about safely bleaching and restoring your hair’s health. In the hopes to maintain your lengths as long as possible, you might have skipped a few hair trims. Bleach damaged hair and heat damaged hair are prone to split ends. When you don’t get your ends trimmed, those split ends can travel up the hair shaft, leading to breakage much closer to your scalp. Bleach damaged hair is weakened and more susceptible to breakage.

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How to Bleach Your Hair at Home

One final option is to go with a Keratin treatment which will help protect the hair from future damage while also boosting shine and softness. Also, there is an increased risk for breakage when treating bleached hair as well because of the fragile state it has been put in from all of the other effects mentioned above. Once you're ready to rinse out the mixture, shampoo and condition your hair. If there's an extra nourishing conditioner in your bleaching kit, use that too. This means brushing and handling the hair gently, especially when it’s wet (and more vulnerable to damage) and always using a heat protectant before you style. In general, when your hair rubs against other pillowcase materials, it gets frizzy and is more easily damaged, more tangled, and lifeless.

Step 12: Set a timer and wait

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When that’s not an option, you should rinse your mane very well after exposing it to chlorine and buy a chlorine-removing shampoo. Regular trims are essential for everyone, especially for people with bleached hair. As we mentioned before, one of the common damage signs is split ends, which won’t go away unless you go for a trim to remove them. In addition, if you skip scheduling a session with your hairdresser, those ends will go up and get worse, damaging your hair even further. Wet, bleached hair is quite vulnerable, so your top priority is to learn how to take care of it using the right tools.

Start with a shampoo and conditioner duo to fix things from the get go.

This silicone and oil-based serum contains bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate – the active ingredient used in the brand’s repairing treatments to fix broken hair bonds. It also has corn, moringa and pomegranate oils to moisturize damaged bleached hair. You’ll get an immediate shine and softening effect, as well as some seriously tamed flyaways. The products and treatments below will help you repair damaged hair while protecting your new color.

Step 4: Bleach your roots

Get a scoop of the oil, rub it between your palms, then apply it to your hair from the roots to the ends. Sleep with a shower cap overnight, then wash your hair the following day. Coconut oil is a great protective mask to apply before bleaching.

Shampooing your hair after bleaching it will strip away all of its remaining natural oils, making the hair even dryer, more brittle, and lifeless. Wait for at least a day or two before shampooing it because your hair will be very sensitive after the procedure. Did you know that conditioning is an essential step in the hair care routine of color-treated ‘dos? Well, one of the mistakes so many people make is skipping the conditioner and only shampooing their hair.

Hair bleaching has become a trend over the past couple of years, and more people are bleaching their hairs to get artificial colors. "If you're already taking out pigment and compromising the strength of the hair with hair that's already dry, it's just going to become more brittle and more prone to break." If your hair doesn’t start to regain its shape and stability within a month to 6 weeks, you may need to enlist the help of a professional hair stylist.